First Solar to Build 550 MW of PV for Southern California
First Solar Inc. and Southern California Edison today announced agreements to build two large-scale solar power projects in Southern California with a total generation capacity of 550 MW. Completion is expected by 2015.
Aaron Hand, Executive Editor, Electronic Media -- PV Society, 8/18/2009
First Solar Inc. (Tempe, Ariz.) and Southern California Edison (SCE, Rosemead, Calif.) today announced agreements to build two large-scale solar power projects in Southern California â going a considerable way to helping California meet its renewable energy objectives. The installations, subject to approval by the California Public Utilities Commission, will have a generation capacity of 550 MW of photovoltaic solar electricity, enough to provide power to ~170,000 homes.
First Solar will engineer, procure and construct the two solar facilities with its CdTe thin-film PV modules. The projects are the 250 MW Desert Sunlight project near Desert Center, Calif., and the 300 MW Stateline project in northeastern San Bernardino County. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2012 for Desert Sunlight and 2013 for Stateline, pending network upgrades and government permits. Both projects are expected to be completed in 2015. The solar projects are expected to produce 1.2 billion kilowatt-hours of solar energy per year.
 |
|
In December, First Solar completed a 2 MW rooftop project in Fontana, Calif. (shown here) for SCE â the first of 250 MW worth of commercial rooftop projects announced by SCE. The latest agreement between the utility and solar module manufacturer calls for two large-scale solar power projects totaling 550 MW. |
SCE also chose First Solar for at least the first two of its 250 MW rooftop initiative, planned for roll-out over a five-year period. First Solar completed the first project â a 2 MW commercial rooftop installation in Fontana, Calif. â in December, and is also slated for a 1 MW project in Chino, Calif.
"Supplying solar power to Southern California Edison and its customers advances our mission of providing clean, affordable and sustainable solar electricity," said John Carrington, First Solar executive vice president, marketing and business development. "These projects will help California reach its renewable energy goals, and are powerful examples of large-scale photovoltaic solar generation becoming a reality in the United States."
California currently has a goal of delivering 20% of electricity from renewable sources by 2010 and is considering legislation to increase the goal to 33% by 2020. In 2008, SCE delivered 12.6 billion kilowatt-hours of energy to its customers from renewable resources (~16% of its total energy portfolio), making it the nation's leading purchaser of renewable energy. The utility delivered >65% of the solar energy produced in the United States in 2008.
"Southern California Edison is always looking for innovative ways to deliver clean power from renewable sources," said Stuart Hemphill, SCE senior vice president, power procurement. "First Solar is an excellent partner in helping us achieve our goals."
The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA, Washington, D.C.) predicts that electric utilities will quickly become the largest and most important customer for the solar industry, and the organization applauded the latest announcement from First Solar and SCE. "In the past year, we have seen a large and vital shift in solar power development," said Julia Hamm, executive director of SEPA. "Especially given the tough financial conditions, we continue to see that not only have utilities become essential partners for the solar power industry, but they are taking leadership positions more every day. The solar industry is rising to the challenge and showing excellent growth."
